IEC apologises for late start of special votes after ballot paper delays - News24
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Monday said 780 000 special votes had been cast but apologised for delays in the process, mostly in Cape Town, due to the late delivery of ballot papers.
Monday was the first of two days of special voting, ahead of Wednesday’s local government elections.
“To the extent that there are voters who were affected, we want to offer our apologies because we would have wanted to start on time,” said chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo during a media briefing on Monday evening.
Scores of voting stations, particularly in Cape Town, did not open at 08:00 as planned because ballot papers had not arrived on time. The IEC had to reprint ballot papers following last month’s court ruling on the inclusion of candidates whose names had not been submitted by the final deadline.
In total, the delays affected 217 voting stations in the City of Cape Town, including those in Kraaifontein, Strand, Khayelitsha, Philippi, Constantia, Delft, Athlone, and the City Bowl.
But delays were not only experienced in Cape Town.
News24 reported late starts in KwaZulu-Natal as well; however, these were due to weather conditions and the need for staff escorts.
Mamabolo said all logistical difficulties were resolved during the course of the day.
“We are pleased to announce that subsequently, all affected voting stations opened and remained operational.”
Mamabolo said the figure of 780 000 special votes cast during the day was a “conservative” count.
He said those who still wanted to cast special ballots needed to do so on Tuesday between 08:00 and 17:00.
He promised that on Tuesday, the process would unfold smoothly.
“Tomorrow, the whole operation will be much improved because people have had an opportunity today to put into practice what they’ve learned in training; they have sharpened the logistical processes.
“So expect a much better and improved performance tomorrow and even a better one on Wednesday.”
Mamabolo said that while the IEC indicated on Sunday it was all systems go, it was still busy distributing printed ballot papers.
On Sunday, News24 reported the IEC said 28 million ballot papers had to be reprinted after the Constitutional Court ruled on 15 October that 181 ANC candidates who were excluded from the ballot for failing to submit their final candidate lists by the deadline must be reinstated.
The IEC then extended the same relief to 32 other political parties in similar circumstances, meaning ballots across 107 municipalities had to be reprinted to include the relevant candidates.
“Indeed, that process went into the early morning today to ensure that everybody is able to cast their ballots at 08:00,” said Mamabolo.
“And indeed, the distribution process was not complete in the City of Cape Town, as we had wanted to,” he said.
In total, 2.6 million voters are expected to cast special votes on Monday and Tuesday. According to the IEC’s figures, 29 million South Africans are registered to vote in this year’s municipal polls.
The DA’s voters have written to the IEC to complain about the delays in the special voting process.
In a statement, DA federal council chair Ashor Sarupen called on the commission to convene an urgent meeting of the party liaison committee, “to address the serious failures” which caused the delay of the ballot papers.
Sarupen said that “this election was too important to miss” and urged party supporters to cast their ballots, even if they encounter delays.
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